Published

The ABC’s of iTunes (Pt. 5)

E is for “Epically Max. Or Something To That Nature.”

They say that music is the tunnel to one’s soul. Okay, I think I might have just made that up, but for the sake of not being able to come up with a better intro sentence, I’m gonna go ahead and go with it.

There’s a grain of truth in that saying I might have possible/probably just made up, and it’s this: Music is truly reflective of who one is as a person.

With that in mind, I decided to take on a mammoth project that should give you an idea of who I am. This is the first in a 26 part post that will cover my top ten favorite songs from every letter of the alphabet.

I do this mainly because there’s no way I could narrow this down to an all encompassing top-ten list.

And now, for the epic continuation…

1. The Eagles – “Hotel California”

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face.
Plenty of room at the Hotel California

How can this not go on the list; this song is such a classic. it’s got such a history, with varied meaning behind the lyrics. Depending on the listener, it could have meant something about Satanism (yeah, seriously) or drugs, or hedonism, or… you get the picture.

2. Ed Sheeran – “The A Team”

Been this way since eighteen
But lately her face seems
Slowly sinking, wasting
Crumbling like pastries

This song makes the list right now, but I’m not sure it will remain in my top ten for long. It’s much more of a passing-fancy type for me, but we’ll see what the passage of time does for it. As for the meaning, well, this one’s definitely about drugs, even though it’s got the deceptive, croony voice of Ginger Wonder Ed Sheeran spouting the lyrics.

3. Eddie Vedder – “Hard Sun”

When I walk beside her
I am the better man
When I look to leave her
I always stagger back

I of course knew who Eddie Vedder was before seeing Into the Wild, but I had never given him much of a chance. However, Vedder’s music was the soundtrack to the movie, so I came out with a new appreciation for his stuff. After hearing more, I enjoy it, but this song from the movie still stands out the most.

4. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – “40 Day Dream”

Ah, it’s the magical mystery kind
Ah, must be a lie
Bye bye to the too good to be true kind of love
Oh, I could die

Go ahead and call me a hipster or a hippie, or whatever derogative term you can think of for liking this band. I can’t help myself. It just makes me feel good listening to it. At least I didn’t choose “Home” as my favorite song, that counts for something, doesn’t it?

5. Elbow – “Lippy Kids”

Lippy kids on the corner again
Lippy kids on the corner begin settling like crows
Though I never perfected that simian stroll
But the cigarette scent, it was everything then

I may be mocked for still watching Grey’s Anatomy once it started tanking in quality, but can you blame me when it leads to finding such great music? This one’s good for its mix of melancholy and hopefulness. The song puts me in a depressed yet calm mood (which is always a great place to be.)

6. Electric Owls – “Magic Show”

And I will not tell you how I do my tricks
It’s yours to suspend disbelief and let it be like this
It’s mine to take your money
And in a puff of smoke I’ll disappear from here

I’m obsessed with the idea of magicians (not actual magicians, because that would be sad). There’s something about their moral code involving secretiveness that just works for me. So, I can’t help but be enthralled by a song that uses that as it’s central metaphor.

7. Electric President – “Insomnia”

There’s a light bulb dangling from string
It’s slowly swaying up over my head now
As I jot down the words that’ll never be sung
And wait for my headache to numb

I don’t go much for glitchy electronic music, but this song doesn’t have too much of that. The track keep the bleeps and bloops to a minimum, and it’s also very sad at its core – which just so happens to be my kryptonite.

8. Elton John – “Bennie and the Jets”

Oh Bennie she’s really keen
She’s got electric boots a mohair suit
You know I read it in a magazine
Bennie and the Jets

I came upon this song after watching this wonderful little romantic comedy 27 Dresses….haha JUST KIDDING. My god, I would never consider that movie good. Also, I did not first hear this song during that movie (your guess is as good as mine as to why I brought it up in the first place) . No, my love of Elton John comes from my father. For the most part, my father doesn’t have the best taste in music, but some of his preferences have stuck.

9. Explosions in the Sky – “Your Hand in Mine”

I am OCD about there being four lines…
of lyrics
But in this one, there are…
no lyrics

So, yes, this song has no lyrics. I have also seen very little of Friday Night Lights (which is where iTunes tells me it’s from) so I have zero context for this song. However, it sounds hopeful and it puts me on a good mood, so it makes it onto my list.